Most roofing shingles look good, but every homeowner cares more about how well they keep the water out of the house. The industry has settled into a place where roofing shingles generally look the same, and the real competition is on price and longevity.
While price is easy to know (it’s on the contract), longevity is not. Most of the shingles installed today are not the same design of shingles that have been on roofs for the last half century. To find longevity, manufacturers have to approximate real-world performance through laboratory tests.
Some manufacturers conduct so many tests that they feel comfortable putting their money where their mouth is by attaching a warranty to their shingles. This is their way of saying “we believe in our product.”
Our extensive experience in the roofing industry has taught us that shingles from previous technology generally last 20 years (give or take). But newer generation shingles can be expected to last longer when the manufacturer’s warranty implies such.
What does this have to do with GAF Timberline HDZ?
It has the best warranty in the business, called the Golden Pledge. It can only be provided by a GAF Master Elite contractor.
The Golden Pledge (for Timberline HDZ on single-family residences) provides 50 years of coverage for leaks caused by material defect, and 25 years of coverage for leaks caused by misapplication.
You’ve probably seen the “50 year” warranty thrown around by other shingle manufacturers, but not all are created equal (more on this below). For some, getting any warranty repairs done might cost you an arm and a leg. But GAF has a strong, dedicated infrastructure at the corporate level to make sure that repairs are handled timely and completely.
But is Timberline HDZ with the Golden Pledge expensive?
No roofing project is cheap. If you ever get a quote that seems too good to be true, that’s because it is. The contractor will skimp on something. It’s just a matter of on what and when the true cost will show up for you.
Roofs are one of the most important components of a house, and the amount of material and technical labor expertise that goes into them is high.
But GAF Timberline HDZ is on the lower cost side of all roofing shingles. It’s not the cheapest (and you wouldn’t want it to be), but it is excellent bang for your buck. With Timberline HDZ, GAF’s goal was to design an affordable shingle that captures nearly all of the benefit of the best shingles in the world.
I say “nearly all” because there are several thicker, heavier, more expensive, and slightly longer-lasting shingles than Timberline HDZ. These are designer shingles like Grand Sequoia, Grand Canyon, and Glenwood. While they last longer than Timberline HDZ, the difference is not huge. With Timberline, you’re still getting the best shingle you can for your dollar.
Always pay close attention to warranty
Most manufacturers claim they have a great warranty, but few actually do. When you read the legal paperwork, you may find all sorts of caveats. Sometimes they won’t cover labor, won’t cover misapplication, won’t cover disposal, or are aggressively pro-rated (meaning that they cover less cost over time). None of these are an issue with the Golden Pledge on a Timberline HDZ installation.
This means that GAF believes in their shingle design enough that they’ve put their money where their mouth is.
Since “true” longevity of roofing shingles is never a known thing, quality of warranty is perhaps the best way to approximate which shingles are the best.
While we believe that there are other shingles from different manufacturers that are also good, it’s hard to argue with the Golden Pledge warranty. It gives you strong coverage against many sources of leaks, and it implies strong internal belief within GAF about the superiority of its product.
If you live in the South Puget Sound and need a new roof, give us a call! We’ve been a Master Elite contractor with GAF since 2011, and we know everything there is to know about installing beautiful roofs that last for decades.
